Zogby Friday: Obama at 45%

I'm sorry, this site is becoming nothing but poll updates with occasional news articles, but the polls seize my interest. Apologies if you are sick of the numbers. I promise, to make it up to you, I will vigilantly fail to report poll numbers should they turn back Obama's way.

President Barack Obama's popularity has plummeted to a record low, with just 45 percent of voters now approving of his performance as commander in chief, according to the latest Zogby International poll.

Asked whether they approve or disapprove of the president's job performance, just 45.3 percent of likely voters say they approve. That compares with 50.5 percent who disapprove of the job Obama is doing.

The results are a strong indication that contentious national debate over healthcare reform has taken a major toll on the president's popularity.

Those numbers also indicate that Obama clearly is in serious political trouble, Fox News analyst and best-selling author Dick Morris tells Newsmax.

"As soon as Obama dropped below 52 percent . . . he was leaking real voters who had backed him in November," Morris tells Newsmax. "Now that he is down to 45 percent among likely voters . . . he is in deep political trouble."

Of greatest concern to Obama may well be his decline among all-important independent voters. Just 37.5 percent of self-identified independents say they approve of how Obama is handling the presidency. That compares with 59.2 percent of independents who disapprove.